Believed to have originated at Warren, Rhode Island, at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Presumed to be a seedling of White Doyenne. Fruit medium or less in size, oblong-obovate-pyriform. Skin thick, fairly smooth, deep brownish-yellow, often blushed, small russet dots, very attractive. Flesh fairly firm, granluar, moderately juicy. Sweet, aromatic flavor but lacking in desirable dessert quality. Early midseason. Tree upright, stately, vigorous, productive, of desirable orchard habits. Moderately susceptible to fire blight. -- H. Hartman, 1957.Buffum has meritorious characters of the tree that should keep it in the list of standard varieties. The trees are remarkably vigorous, nearly free from blight, very productive, although they have a tendency to bear biennially. The quality of the fruits is variable. At times the flesh is rich aromatic, melting and very good; again, it may be insipid or even illy flavored, devoid of perfume, coarse in texture and poor. The fruits are never large and often run small. To attain good quality, the pears must be picked early and ripened in a moderately cool fruitroom. The culture of Buffum is on the wane, chiefly for the reason that its fruits ripen with those of Seckeland fail in competition, the Seckels being nearly as large and much better in quality. The original tree of Buffum grew in the garden of David Buffum, Warren, Rhode Island,
Tree vigorous, very upright, dense, hardy, almost immune to blight, very productive; branches shaggy, zigzag, reddish -brown, with numerous small lenticels. Leaves 3 1/3 inches long, 2 inches wide, oval, thin, leathery; apex abruptly pointed; margin glandular. finely serrate; petiole 2 1/4 inches long. Flowers 1 1/2 inches across, showy, in dense clusters, 6 to 8 flowers in a cluster. Fruit ripe in late September and October ; 2 1/4 inches long, more than 2 inches wide, uniform in size and shape, oblong-obovate-pyriform, with unequal sides ; stem 1/4 inch long, very thick; cavity obtuse, shallow, narrow, russeted, gently furrowed, often slightly lipped; calyx open; lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, obtuse ; basin shallow, obtuse, gently furrowed; skin thick, tough and granular, smooth except for the russet markings, dull; color deep brownish-yellow, with a bright reddish blush on the exposed cheek toward the basin; dots many, small, brownish or russet, conspicuous; flesh white, tinged with yellow, firm, granular, stringy toward the center, juicy, sweet, aromatic quality good; core large, closed core-lines clasping calyx-tube short, wide, conical seeds large, wide, plump, acute. -- U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.
Buffam. (of R. Manning, 1844). The Buffam is a native of Rhode Island, and from its general resemblance to the Doyenne, it is, no doubt, a seedling of that fine sort. It is an orchard pear of the first quality, as it is a very strong, upright grower, bears large, regular crops, and is a very handsome and saleable fruit. It is a little variable in quality. We have frequently eaten them so fine, as scarcely to be distinguished from the Doyenne, and again, when rather insipid. It may be considered a beautiful and good, though not first rate variety. Fruit of medium size, oblong, obovate, a little smaller on one side. Skin fair, deep yellow, (brownish-green at first,) finely suffused over half the fruit, with bright red, sprinkled with small brown dots, or a little russet. Stalk an inch long, inserted in a very slight cavity. Calyx with small segments, and basin of moderate size. Flesh white, buttery, not so juicy as the Doyenne, but sweet, and of excellent flavour. The strong upright reddish-brown shoots, and peculiar, brownish green appearance of the pear, before ripening, distinguish this fruit. September. -- A.J. Downing, The fruits and fruit trees of America, 1846.